Stokes England Office

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The management undertook assessments before agreeing to support people to ensure that their individual needs and preferences could be met by the staff team. This was in conjunction with legal representatives such as solicitors. People's care plans were developed with the person, their families and other health professionals involved in the person's support. Staff received an induction before supporting people and had their competency checked by the management team. Staff received appropriate training relevant to people they supported. Staff worked in partnership with other health professionals involved in people's care and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported by staff that were thoughtful and caring. Staff understood and respected each person's individual characteristics, and respected people's privacy and dignity. People were involved in choosing the staff that supported them.

People's care was planned with staff and the person and their family. Staff understood people's unique ways of communicating and knew how to support the person to speak for themselves as much as possible. The registered manager had a complaints policy in place and used complaints and feedback as an opportunity to improve the service for people.

Managers and leaders created a transparent and honest culture for people and staff that was focused on ensuring everyone had the support they needed. The management were committed and enthusiastic about providing support and training for staff to enable them to provide people with the best support possible. The management team consistently reviewed the service through their governance systems and identified ways to improve things for people. People, their relatives and staff were given regular opportunities to be involved in how the service was run by being provided with regular opportunities to feedback on aspects of the service.